Star Wars - Legends of Jedi: Darkenss Awakened
by christos200
Summary: The galaxy is in turmoil as a brutal war rages between the First Order and the New Republic. A mercenary soldier, Jack, and a young hunter from an insignificant village, Thomas, want to make full use of the chaos to get rich. The duo enter the dangerous criminal underworld and face gangsters, Hutts, pirates, Jedi and the First Order in their attempt to become the bosses of crime.
1. Prologue - The Ancient Scrolls

**Synopsis:** The galaxy is in turmoil as a brutal war rages between the First Order and the New Republic. A former mercenary soldier, Jack, and a young hunter from an insignificant village, Thomas, want to make full use of the chaos to get rich. The duo enter the dangerous criminal underworld and face gangsters, Hutts, pirates, Jedi and the First Order in their attempt to become the bosses of crime.

 **Notes:** Firstly, while characters from the movies will play an important part in the story, the main protagonists are original characters. Secondly, this story was written before Episode VIII came out, so it will most likely not reflect the developments in that movie. Last but not least, hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

 **STAR WARS**

 **LEGENDS OF JEDI : DARKNESS AWAKENED**

 ** _The galaxy is in turmoil. It_** ** ** _'s been one year since the destruction of the Starkiller Base, and it is a dark time for the Resistance. The evil First Order has_**** ** ** _ **been waging a brutal war of reconquest against the New Republic and the Resistance. Many ferocious battles have been fought, leaving hundred of thousands of dead civilians and ruined cities behind them. The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance...  
**_****

 _ **Prologue - The Ancient Scrolls  
**_

 _Outer Rim_

Space was like a dark curtain, contrasting with blacks and yellows, and the occasional white, which was shaped as a circle and sometimes a crescent. Thousands of bright stars and planets dotted that curtain in a intricate pattern. Suddenly, a menacing shadow overshadowed one of the smaller planets. It was the shadow of a Star Destroyer traveling in space. Its engines emitted a sound like the singing of whales. It was the only sound that could be heard in the silent and empty coldness of space. A Lambda-class T-4a shuttle emerged from the Star Destroyer and headed towards one of the planets. It had three wings: one tall, dorsal stabilizer that remained stationary, and two lower wings that would extend during flight and fold upward for landing. The shuttle was mounted with two forward-facing double laser cannons. The shuttle entered into the planet's atmosphere and landed on the grassland.

* * *

 _Shayang_

The horse was galloping forward on the grassland. The grass flattened under the wind in beautiful shimmering waves. Flowers lay scattered on the grass like frozen flames. Their petals were delicate works of art. The air was perfumed by their heavy scent; it was exquisite, fragrant. The white stallion was alert, slender-limbed and muscled. Its rider was an old man. His wrinkled face and long white hair and beard revealed his age. He was wearing a long black robe and hood. His heart beat fast. There was cold sweat on his forehead. He breathed heavily. "Faster!", he shouted and the horse sped up as if it had somehow understood his words.

'There is no time to waste!', the old man thought. 'If the scrolls are true, it will happen soon.'

Suddenly an invincible wave hit him and his horse. The horse toppled to the ground, bringing down its rider. As the old man got up, he saw the attacker. It was a lone figure clad in dark. His robe had become singed from many battles. His face was covered by a mask which projected and amplified his voice in a deeper way. "Darcayd, we meet at last! Would you be kind enough to give me the scrolls?"

"Kylo Ren!", the old man shouted as he grabbed his lightsaber from his belt. "I am not defenseless. I am more powerful than you can imagine."

Darcayd ignited his lightsaber. Its bright blue color glimmered. Ren too ignited his lightsaber, a bright and unstable red one, and struck at the old man. Their two sabers clashed violently.

"You are getting weaker, old man!", Ren said.

Instead of replying, Darcayd lunged forwards and slashed Ren's chest. With another swift attack, he slashed across Ren's mask. Ren leaped backward and sent a Force wave at Darcayd. The old man easily withstood the wave and remained steady. Ren angrily charged forward and violently swinged his lightsaber at the old man. Darcayd was forced on the defensive. Sensing the old man's weakness, Ren struck harder. He allowed himself to become immersed in his anger and frustration and feed off those emotions to become stronger. He struck again, again, again. Each time with more prowess, more emotion, more anger.

"Die!", he shouted as with a swift move he decapitated the old man. Darcayd's bloodied head rolled on the ground.

Ren let out a breath. He approached the decapitated body of Darcayd and searched it for the scrolls. They were nowhere to be found. "Damn you, old bastard!", he barked. In his anger, he took off his mask and threw it on the ground, revealing his true face; that of a young man whose only sign of battle was a scar across his face. While Ren's mask inspired terror, his true face did not have that effect. That was the reason Ren chose to wear the mask.

"I need the scrolls...", Ren said and sighed. He sat on the ground, contemplating his next move. It was then when he saw a white horse riding to his direction. Ren got up and, holding his lightsaber in his hands, walked forward to see who the rider was. He was a tall man wearing a long purple silk gown. His long hair was white but despite his age, his face was delicate and showed no signs of old age. The man jumped off his horse and walked towards Ren.

"You are...?", Ren asked.

"My name is Rong", the old man replied. "I am just an old man who happens to have been a friend of Darcayd. I hoped to join him but it seems I was too late."

Without waiting for the man to continue, Ren struck at him with his lightsaber. Rong used the Force to push back Ren, sending him rolling on the ground.

Rong humphed. "I expected you to be stronger. Then again, you are just a child pretending to be a warrior."

Ren was angry but also terrified. He could sense the old man's prowess in the Force. Not even his old Master, the renowned Luke Skywalker, had such a powerful presence in the Force. Before he could react, he felt as if his whole body was burning. He trembled and every part of his body ached. His face became ashen white and he vomited blood. He screamed in pain and cried out. Ren had no idea that such a Force technique existed. The pain was so severe that he lost his consciousness and collapsed on the grassy ground.


	2. Chapter I - The Hunter and the Mercenary

_**Chapter I - The Hunter and the Mercenary  
**_

 _Snowy Forest_

The young man walked slowly amidst the snowy trees of the forest. The cold was shivering but he did not mind much as the black fur he wore gave him protection and he was an experienced hunter. He was only nineteen years old but he had been hunting in that forest since he was thirteen. He was tall and well built, with an athletic and muscular body. Yet he did not look like a savage; instead his face was delicate and handsome, with his short black hair, aquiline nose and green eyes.

His steps were slow and from time to time he looked at the snowy ground to see the footprints of the animal he was hunting; a deer. The deer had been cut off from the group, it seemed, probably because it had been injured, and thus presented an ideal prey for the young man. Thomas, for that was the young man's name, had a lot of experience in hunting down animals in this forest. He had learned from the best; his uncle Alfred. In his youth, Alfred was renown in Bliz village for his hunting abilities and for being able to survive in the snowy forest for whole weeks without any help at all. Now, a middle-aged man who had not aged well, he spent most of his time home and let Thomas do the hunting.

After following its trail for almost a whole day, Thomas could finally see his prey resting besides a frozen brook. The young hunter hid behind a tree, drew his laser blaster and aimed at the deer. For a moment there was utter silence that was suddenly terminated with the sound of blaster being fired. Thomas had hit his target; the deer lied dead on the ground. Although he did enjoy hunting, Thomas always felt a bit sad the moment he killed his prey. But this was the only skill he had and the only way he and his uncle could survive.

He walked to the deer and grabbed it. With it in his back, he began making his way home. He knew that he would not reach it until the next day, but he hoped to make some of the journey's distance before resting for the night. He was not relaxed at all with his 'victory'. Instead, he was even more alarmed and tensed as he knew that a dead deer could draw any kind of wild beasts to him. Not only that, but the forest was rife with bandits too. Few villagers dared to hunt in this place.

As Thomas hurried forward, he noticed a red flame streaking through the sky. 'I better get going', he thought. After walking as fast as he could for about an hour, Thomas knew that he had to rest for the night. The sky darkened and he could not hope to journey for much longer. He placed down the deer and drew a night light device he had brought with him. He placed it down and activated it to illuminate the surroundings. The light would allow him to see if anyone or anything was approaching him. He then lied down on the snow and rested, with his blaster at his hand and ready to wake up and fire at the slightest sound.

Crack!

Thomas immediately got up when heard that sound. He looked around and saw a man approaching him. The man was in his late twenties. He had curly dark hair, brown eyes and a blade scar across his face. He was wearing black shirt and trousers and a dark blue jacket. Seeing him, Thomas pointed his blaster at the man and asked with an authoritative tone, "Who are you?"

The man smiled. "Relax kid", he said with a smug smile on his face. "I ain't here to cause any trouble."

"Then what do you want?", Thomas asked, still pointing his blaster at the stranger and ready to shoot if he made any sudden move.

"My ship came under attack. I was the only survivor. I managed to escape in a pod and crushed on this damn forest!", the stranger said. "I would like to know if there is any place to stay nearby. Name's Jack by the way."

Thomas was reminded of the red flame streaking through the sky. 'That must have been his escape pod...', he thought. "So", he replied, "what happened to your ship? Who attacked it?"

"Space pirates. I managed to kill a few of them with my rifle but they were simply too many. They massacred my crew. I only managed to survive thanks to a grenade I had on me. I threw it at the bastards and caused enough of a distraction to allow me to head to the escape pods."

While Thomas could tell that the man was telling the truth, he still did not fully trust him. "What exactly you and your crew were doing?"

Jack sighed. "We were heading for Onderon."

"That is a battlefield. Or so I've heard from the elders in the village. We do not get news fast here."

Jack nodded. "It is indeed a battlefield. I am a mercenary, as were the rest of my crew. We were supposed to reinforce the Republic army in the area. Unfortunately those damn pirates took hold of our ship."

Thomas had no reason not to believe the man. He had heard before of pirates. With the Republic and the First Order putting all their resources in the war effort, criminals had a free reign. Neither the Republic nor the First Order tried to police the Outer Rim and pirates used this chance to raid and get rich. Many veterans from both sides had joined those criminals, wanting to make full use of this opportunity.

"I see. As for what you asked, there is Bliz village not too far from here", Thomas replied. "It is where I live. However, it is late now and traveling in the forest at night is a good way to get lost or be attacked by a wild beast or bandits."

Thomas lied on the ground and continued, "I will be sleeping here for the night. You should do the same. We shall go the village tomorrow, as soon as the sun appears on the sky."

Jack too lied on the ground. "Very well. I am tired, so I am ok with resting here."

The next day, as soon as the sun appeared on clear blue sky, the two men woke up. Thomas grabbed the deer and continued his journey to Bliz village along with Jack. By afternoon, they had reached the outskirts of the village. The sunset had radiated across the clouds, turning them molten orange with bands of pink. When they entered into the village, the wind became gusty and the first drops of rain indicated that there was going to be a storm soon. Bliz village was small and insignificant. It was poor and so most of the houses were crude to the extreme, with earthen walls and mud floors.

"I don't think I will be finding a ship here...", Jack murmured.

"The spaceport is far away from here", Thomas replied. "You can ask someone here to take you there tomorrow. First though, let's go see Tom."

"Who is Tom?"

"The butcher. I need to sell the deer I caught."

Thomas entered a small building. Inside was Tom, a middle-aged short but muscular man. He was cutting some meat with his laser knife on a wooden table while watching a hologram program.

"Hello Thomas, what have you brought me?", a smiling Tom asked.

"A deer", Thomas nonchalantly replied. He was tired and wanted to go home and rest as soon as possible. "I will sell you half of it for fifty credits."

"Forty boy. Don't push me. My daughter is getting married and I have a lot of spending to do", Tom replied, still smiling.

"Really? Mary is getting married?", Thomas asked.

"Yup. And I was as surprised as you when I've heard it. I met the lucky guy only yesterday."

"I'm glad to hear the news. And I will take the forty credits."

As Tom handed the credits, he pointed at Jack. "Who is this guy?"

"Someone I met in the woods."

"Name's Jack and I'm glad to meet you", Jack replied.

"Since you are with Thomas, you must be a decent person. So I am glad to meet you too, I suppose..."

Thomas and Jack bid farewell to Tom and left his shop. They headed to Thoma's house. Thomas knocked the door of his home and, a few seconds later, uncle Alfred opened the door. Alfred was tall and strong built but his age showed; his face was wrinkled, his hair and beard gray and he coughed from time to time. Yet his smile was radiant and warm. He quickly helped Thomas with the deer he was carrying and greeted him: "Your hunting went well I can see."

"Indeed", Thomas replied. "It took me two days but it was worth it. I have sold half the deer to Tom for forty credits and now we have enough meet for the whole week."

"Good job", Alfred remarked. "You remind me of myself when I was young, ages ago...", he said and laughed. "You can keep ten credits."

"Thanks."

Alfred then noticed Jack. "Who is he?"

"I met him in the forest."

"Greetings!", Jack said. "Name's Jack. Long story short, my ship was boarded by pirates and I am the only survivor."

Alfred sighed. "Damn pirates! Since the war began, there has been no one to stop them. You can remain here, if you want to, until the morning. Then you can get someone to get you to the spaceport."

"Thank you."

Jack walked into the house. The hall had only a small round wooden table and three chairs. "Nice place", he remarked.

Alfred sat on a chair and smoked his pipe. Grand puffs of smoke curled around his head. After a moment of silence, Alfred spoke. "So, Jack, do you have any news regarding the war? News do not get fast in this corner of the galaxy."

"Nothing new", Jack replied. "It is a stalemate. The only news I've heard is that this dark warrior - what was his name? Ah yes, Kylo Ren! Well this Kylo Ren got killed."

"Good riddance!", Alfred said.

"Uncle, I am going to sleep", Thomas said, interrupting the discussion.

"Alright. Have a good sleep."

Thomas then turned to Jack and said, "If the weather is better, we can go hear stories from the storyteller. That old man lives just outside the village and tells incredible stories."

"Sure. Why not?"

"Great."

Thomas then walked into his room. It was really simple, having only a small wooden desk with a small hologram projector on it and a bed. He quickly lied on the bed and fell asleep. The rain poured down over the village with a roar. The sound of emptiness was disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder. The howl and beating rain were loud. The storm went on for about an hour before stopping. A few hours later Thomas woke up and dressed casually, letting go of his fur. He washed his face with cold water and walked out of his room.

He found his uncle Alfred smoking and Jack sitting on a chair.

"Shall we get going?", he asked Jack.

The mercenary nodded in agreement. The two of them walked out of the house and headed for the storyteller. It was late at night. The black sky was starless, moonless. The storyteller was camping in a tent a few minutes of walk outside the village. When Thomas and Jack arrived there, they saw that the old man was surrounded by old men and small children who had gathered to listen to his stories. The old storyteller was sitting besides a fire. He was wearing a black robe and his face was hooded but illuminated by the fire; the man was was bearded and had a few wrinkles on his face.

"Once upon a time, the evil Empire ruled the galaxy with an iron fist", the man said. "The Emperor was wicked and oppressed the people, so a few brave men and women formed a rebel alliance with the goal of overthrowing him. The Emperor dispatched his enforcer, the fierce Darth Vader, to find the base of the rebels. Darth Vader was a sorcerer of old times with magical abilities that made him the most fearsome man of the Empire. Vader captured Princess Leia, one of the leaders of the rebels, but she was rescued by a young farm boy from the outer regions; Luke Skywalker. That boy was a simple man like you and had no idea that one day he would become a fighter for the rebels. In his task of saving the Princess, he had the help of smuggler, Han Solo, and his Wookie friend, Chewbacca, and had an old Jedi Master as his mentor; Ben Kenobi."

The story had caught the interest of everyone listening to it; especially the children who were enthralled to hear the story of the young Luke fighting against the evil Empire. Thomas too was enamored by the story and it was as if the events the old man was describing were unfolding before him. When the storyteller told of Kenobi's death, many in the audience cried while when he told of Luke's blowing up of the Death Star, the audience, especially the children, cheered. Only Jack was less impressed with his storytelling. The old man told of all the struggles Luke and his friend underwent until the defeat of the Empire. He then began talking about how Luke was training a new generation of Jedi Knights.

"Luke hoped that the young men and women he was training in his academy would safeguard the new Republic and uphold peace and justice like the Jedi did in the old Republic. Alas, it was not to be so. One pupil of his, corrupted by the dark side of the Force, turned on his Master and fellow pupils. He allied with the forces of evil and attacked the academy, massacring everyone who resisted him and hunting down and destroying the new Jedi order. History repeated itself. That pupil became Kylo Ren and Luke was once again the last of the Jedi. It is not known what happened to him."

"Did you like his story?", Thomas asked.

"It was alright I suppose...", Jack replied. "Real war is not like that though. It is far more dirty, bloody and desperate. There are no heroes. You must use every means in your disposal, even underhanded ones, to survive. Teamwork and discipline also matter the most. There is no hero saving the day."

Jack paused for a moment. "So, are you happy in this place?"

"I am."

"Don't you want to see other planets, have fun, get lots of money?"

Thomas sighed. "Well, I do, but I am not a rich person. I don't have the money to travel."

"Why don't you come with me? You look athletic enough and you know how to handle a blaster, so you can be a decent warrior. We can make lots of money."

Thomas laughed. "I ain't going to be a mercenary, if that is what you are proposing."

"I am not proposing that. Those space pirates got me thinking. Why should I endanger my life as a mercenary fighting some stupid war when I can earn ten times more cash as a criminal. It's not like the Republic and the First Order do anything about crime, so it is a golden opportunity."

"What?", Thomas asked with a smile of disbelief on his face. "You want me to become a criminal?"

"Why not? Everyone is doing it. Forget the silly stories about the noble heroes rescuing the damsel in distress and saving the galaxy. In the real world you either exploit others or you are exploited. If you want to make it big, you have to take risks. Do you want to get rich or do you want to remain a poor hunter in an insignificant village? It's up to you."

Thomas thought for a moment about it. On the one hand, this proposal sounded utterly ridiculous and went against his personal morality. On the other hand, Jack made sense. Was he going to forever stay in that village and never see the outside world? How could he earn money and live a good life as a hunter? He thought hard about those and many more questions. "Well... I don't know. I will tell you tomorrow."

"Alright. No pressure. Just think about it. We can make a great team."


End file.
